AA calls for improved vehicle safety tests in South Africa

With Euro NCAP recently marking its 20th anniversary, the Automobile Association in South Africa believes it is a unique opportunity to highlight the need for improved safety testing on cars locally.

The Association called for the introduction of safety testing measures that provide a scale of safety ratings for all vehicles sold locally. The Association said these safety ratings should be clearly displayed on vehicles.

“Local consumers rarely have access to information on the safety ratings of the cars they are buying. For us, it’s critical that it becomes mandatory for a sticker to be placed in the windscreen of a vehicle telling buyers what the safety rating of that vehicle is, in the same way that a sticker is used to display the emissions rating of a vehicle,” the AA said.

The Association said implementing a local safety ratings scale, and displaying the results on each vehicle, would mean consumers have a better understanding of the safety of the vehicle they intend buying, at the point of purchase, and that this would allow them to make more informed decisions.

In congratulating Euro NCAP on its 20th anniversary, the AA said its safety testing had improved safety standards in vehicles throughout the world.

“Safety on South African roads remains elusive; our road fatality statistics are proof of this. A key pillar of dealing with this is making sure motorists are driving safe vehicles, and the introduction of a safety ratings scale locally is one step in the right direction,” the AA concluded.